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The Land Before Time XVI: The Lonely Longneck (story)
THE LAND BEFORE TIME XVI: THE LONELY LONGNECK (February 2017) (Blue Ray) CHARACTERS Figure 1: Bron/Littlefoot's Father Figure 2: Shorty/Littlefoot's Foster Brother Figure 3: Arianna/Littlefoot’s Mother Figure 4: Mrs. Maia Figure 5: Sinking Sand Littlefoot Male Apatosaurus (Longneck/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Cera Female Triceratops (Threehorn/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Ducky Female Sauralophus (Swimmer/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Petrie Male Pteranodon (Flyer/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Spike Male Stegosaurus (Spiketail/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Shorty Male Brachiosaurus (Longneck/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Bron Male Apatosaurus (Longneck/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Grandpa Longneck Male Apatosaurus (Longneck/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Grandma Longneck Female Apatosaurus (Longneck/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Topps Male Triceratops (Threehorn/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Tria Female Triceratops (Threehorn/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Tricia Female Triceratops (Threehorn/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Dayo (OC) Female Brachiosaurus (Longneck/Flattooth) Alignment: Good Allosaurus Pack (OCs) Mixed Allosaurus (Sharptooth) Alignment: Bad Littlefoot and his friends were playing, as usual. It was the middle of the day. The day seemed like any other. Hardly a cloud was in the sky. It had been rather hot, though not awful. Littlefoot and his friends went to go get water to drink. "I am thirsty. I am. I am." said Ducky, eager to get water after playing in the hot day. Ducky ran to the water and dived in. She drank some and then spouted water out of her mouth like a fountain. The others ran in and joined her. Spike ran and jumped in, doing a cannonball. They all got splashed. "Hey!" said Topps, who was grazing and got hit by the water too. "Oops, sorry Mr. Threehorn." said Littlefoot. They continued to splash in the water, not bothered by anything. Ducky, who had grown some, was splashing water at Petrie. He dove in, splashed his wing against the water, and splash water in her face. Spike accidentally tooted in the water, blowing bubbles around his tush. "Spike!" groaned the others. "Oops." said Spike, embarrassed. The wind blew gently on the air, making a nice breeze. "That feels better." said Grandpa Longneck, who was thinking of going into the water himself. He wished he could be young like the kids again. He missed those days. He had seen bad things happen in the Mysterious Beyond though since his own childhood days. The worst thing to have happened to him in the Mysterious Beyond, though he'd not seen it, was the death of his only daughter, Arianna. She'd been killed by a Sharptooth. They turned and heard twigs snapping. Someone was creeping along. Grandpa Longneck and his wife looked for the cause of the commotion. They saw a young female Longneck coming. She was Littlefoot's age. She had a scar on her cheek and seem traumatized by something. Grandma Longneck was concerned. "What seems to be the trouble dear?" asked Grandma Longneck. "Are there Sharpteeth here?" she asked in a weak voice, looking around her, panicky. "No. No Sharpteeth here." said Grandpa Longneck. "I need. I need water. So worn out." she said very weakly. She then fell to the ground and passed out. Littlefoot and his friends stared at her and gasped. Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Dayo CHAPTER ONE: DAYO They all stood over the Longneck. Littlefoot saw that she was his age. She seemed dehydrated and also had a scar on her right eye. "Is she going to live?" he asked, concerned. The last Longneck that he'd seen die was his poor mother. He hoped never to have to see that again. And his mother had at least lived to have kids. This Longneck was so young. It didn't seem fair that the Circle of Life would come to a stop for her so soon. Littlefoot, though he didn't even know her, started to cry. "It's not fair. She was only a kid. She can't die. She can't." he sobbed. "She hasn't had water. We need to get her to it or we could lose her." said Grandpa Longneck. The group all moved her, working together. They placed her in water. Littlefoot prodded her. "Wake up. Please wake up. Please." he said, still bleary-eyed. Her chest was moving weakly. "Please live. Please." begged Littlefoot. A tear fell from his eye and landed on her. Slowly, she moved. "Where am I and how did I get here?" she asked, stirring feebly. "You came here to the Great Valley." replied Grandma Longneck. "Where?" inquired the Longneck. "It's a safe place for Leaf Eaters." said Grandpa Longneck. "There are no safe places. Sharpteeth are everywhere! They were after me. They might be nearby." she cried. She saw a shadow on a wall. It was only Topps’s shadow, but she didn’t stick around to see that it was him. She took off and tried to find a place to hide. "What's with her?" said Topps, who noticed her running past. "She's been in the heat of the Bright Circle too long. I think she may have temporary memory loss and may be slightly delusional . However, personally, I think it's more than that. I think she's been through some kind of trauma." said Grandpa Longneck. She ran, very afraid. She ran right into the Sinking Sands, not paying attention to where she was going. "Help!" she cried, trying not to sink, flapping her forelegs desperately. Grandma and Grandpa Longneck saw her peril and came to her rescue. They pulled her out using their necks for her to reach out and grab onto. They placed her on the grass again. She spat out mud. "Eccccccccccccccchhhh!" she said. "You gave us quite a fright little one." said Grandpa Longneck. "I'm scared. The last thing I can remember is Sharpteeth after me." she said, looking around. "There is nothing here to be afraid of." Grandma Longneck reassured her. "The Sharpteeth. They were chasing me. What happened? Am I dead?" she asked. "No little one. You are here with us in the Great Valley." said Grandpa Longneck. "Hello, I'm Littlefoot." said Littlefoot. He thought she seemed really nice, albeit paranoid. "Hello Littlefoot. I am Dayo." she said. Littlefoot could tell that she was really shy. She was the same species as Shorty but was blue colored. Littlefoot saw the scar around her right eye. "How'd you get that?" he asked. "Sharptooth." she replied. "Poor dear. You need a rest. Come get something to eat." said Grandma Longneck. She went with them and ate Tree Stars. She was really shy. Littlefoot could sense that there was pain in her. Something was wrong. Dayo went and took a nap. Littlefoot was worried about her. He wasn't the only one. "That girl gave us quite a fright." said Topps. "She obviously is bothered by something.' said Grandpa Longneck. "Do you think she will be all right?" Littlefoot asked his grandfather. "I think that her health will be fine. However, I worry about what else may have happened to her. She seems to have gone through some kind of stress. The effects of that may last a lot longer than her thirst and hunger problem." said Grandpa Longneck. When Dayo awoke, Littlefoot asked if she wanted to play. She said that she did. They played Toss the Seed and many other games. She was really playful and was really good at the games. However, when they decided to play Sharptooth attack, she freaked out and refused. "What's with her?" grumbled Cera. "A Sharptooth attack is not a game!" said Dayo sternly. "I know. I lost my Mother to one." said Littlefoot. "I'm so sorry." said Dayo. She headed to go get leaves from a tree. However, she clumsily bumped into a branch, knocking a ton of Tree Sweets onto her head. Cera laughed, but Littlefoot scowled at her, glaring at her with his eyes. Cera shut up. "Are you ok?" asked Littlefoot. "I'm fine. There are worse things that can happen to one than being conked on the head by Tree Sweets." said Dayo. She began to lick herself clean. Littlefoot knew that there was something troubling Dayo. "Is there something bothering you?" he asked her in a concerned tone. "I don't want to talk about it now." she said. Littlefoot saw tears forming in her eye. He wondered what it was that so troubled her. "Littlefoot, you have some visitors." came Grandpa Longneck's voice. Littlefoot ran and saw Shorty and Bron. "Hello son." said Bron. "Dad!" said Littlefoot. Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Shorty and Dayo CHAPTER TWO: SHORTY AND DAYO "How are things around here?" asked Bron. "Oh, not much. We had some bad encounters with Sharp Beaks and met a new half-Sharp Beak friend named Ptero." said Littlefoot. Bron shook his head. Littlefoot tended to make the strangest friends! "Oh, and we just found a new Longneck named Dayo. She came here alone and really weak. Something is bothering her but she won't talk about it." said Littlefoot. Bron said nothing. What Littlefoot had said had triggered an old memory of his. Bron came across the Longnecks. They were all kids. However, a green one was the leader. He was weak. He had taken care of the others and had led them through hard places, looking for food. He appeared to have sometimes gone without to help the younger ones. "Where are your parents?" he asked then, assuming them to all be family at first glance. However, he soon saw that some of them were different types of Longnecks. The young Longneck leader said "I don't want to talk about it." "What's your name kid?" Bron asked. "Shorty." the kid replied. Bron returned his thoughts to the present. "Is she all right?" he asked. "She is healthy again, though still troubled. She doesn't want to talk about it though." said Littlefoot. Bron sighed. Meanwhile, Ducky was trying to cheer up Dayo. "Why are you sad? You are safe here. You are. You are." said Ducky. Dayo frowned at her. "I just don't want to talk about it. It was so awful." she said gloomily. "You need to smile. You do. You do." said Ducky cheerfully. "I may never be happy ever again." moaned Dayo miserably. "Where are your friends Littlefoot?" asked Shorty in the meantime. "They are by the watering hole." answered Littlefoot. They went past many trees with golden and yellow leaves. It was the Time of Changing Leaves. Leaves landed on them as they went past. One hit Shorty in the face. "Get away you stupid leaf!" he snapped. "It's just a leaf." said Littlefoot in shock. He'd never understood Shorty's aggression. Littlefoot had wondered what had happened to Shorty before he'd met him. But even Bron didn't know everything about Shorty. Littlefoot realized that Shorty and Dayo had that in common. Both had had something unknown happen to them that had given them unusual personalities. They headed toward the watering hole, the sky getting darker. The mugginess of the day had brought in storm clouds. The Bright Circle was suddenly covered by a cloud and the temperature dropped slightly. Littlefoot, used to the hot sun all day long, started to shiver. Shorty came upon Dayo. The two were of the same species type. Dayo looked at him. It was clear that she was trying to figure out what to make of him. She decided that he wasn't a threat and came closer. "Who are you?" she asked. "I'm Shorty." he answered. "I'm Littlefoot's foster brother. Not that he's as great as I am, of course." said Shorty, a hint of cockiness in his voice. "I'm Dayo." said Dayo, a hint of indifference in her voice. Meanwhile, Bron was talking to Grandpa Longneck. He had heard about Dayo. "Where are her folks Papa?" he asked. "I don't know Bron. She doesn't want to talk about much. Every time I've brought it up, she's gone quiet." said his father-in-law, a tone of concern in his voice. Bron decided to be blunt and voice what he was wondering. "Do you think she still has folks? Could she have lost them and been wandering the Mysterious Beyond like our Littlefoot?" he asked. Grandpa Longneck looked through a clearing of trees at Dayo. His mind switched back to a vision of long ago of a young Longneck. "Dad, I'm glad I've passed the Great Longneck test. I hope to do many great things in the world. While I'd like to lead a herd, what I want most is to have a family." said the young Apatosaurus. "You will Arianna. You will. In time." said her father. In the present, a tear fell from his eye as he thought of his deceased daughter Arianna. No Longneck should have to go through that. Yet Littlefoot had lost his beloved mother. Had Dayo suffered something similar? "I miss her too Papa." said Bron, a tear in his own eye. Grandpa Longneck knew whom Arianna's mate was talking about. "What about Shorty? Has he ever talked about what happened to his folks?" asked Grandpa Longneck. "No Papa. He only says that they are gone and he can't get them back." said Bron sadly. "Those accursed Sharpteeth. They ruin so many lives! They're all cowards! All, well, except one." said Bron angrily. He was thinking of Littlefoot's friend Chomper as the one exception when he said that. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Dayo jumped. "What's with her?" asked Shorty, feeling that she was being strange. Lightning flashed. A shadow appeared on the ground. It was only of tree branches, but it looked like claws and fangs. "SHARPTOOTH!" Dayo yelled. She ran. Shorty also jumped. The others, however, noticed that it was just the shadow of branches. "Dayo, it's ok. It's not..." said Littlefoot. Dayo ran forward, screaming in terror, not hearing Littlefoot. Meanwhile, Topps and Tria had stacked a bunch of Tree Sweets. He would eat them with his family later. They were stacked in the shape almost of a pyramid. The wind blew a stick. It almost hit them. "Whew, that was close!" sighed Topps in relief. Dayo came running into sight, terror in her eyes. "Sharptooth!" she yelled. "Dayo, watch out for the..." said Topps, but, too late. SPLAT! She rammed into the Tree Sweets. She had splattered juice everywhere, having stepped on a few. Many lay ruined, having, toppled and splattered. She took off. "Get back here!" he bellowed angrily. She went and hid between some rocks. Eventually, Grandpa Longneck was able to coax her out of there. Topps was furious, and also dripping in Tree Sweet juice, one of the Tree Sweets had, in fact, gone flying and gotten itself stuck on one of his horns. Mama Flyer was able to pull it off of him. "Now look what she did. It was only a shadow. She's gone crazy like that twice. Perhaps she should go." said Topps angrily. "No. I think she should stay." They turned. It was Shorty. "She's obviously been hurt before. Something scared her. I was scared too. Old memories don't go away easily." he said. Everyone stood there dumbfounded. Shorty was normally a little prat. To see him stick up for anyone was unheard of. Chapter 4: Chapter 3: The Clumsy Longneck CHAPTER THREE: THE CLUMSY LONGNECK Ducky, who was, by nature, cheerful, and optimistic, decided to try to cheer Dayo up. "You should not be sad all the time. Oh no, no, no." she said. "You have no idea little Swimmer. I have no idea why I'm talking to you. I've only ever talked to Longnecks before. Yet, I'm so lonely that I'd take anyone." she said. "Well, Leaf Eaters anyway." she quickly added. "Don't bother her Ducky. I know that when I'm down, I can get as mad as a Sharptooth if disturbed." said Shorty. Dayo glared at him. Everyone knew that she had a strong fear of Sharpteeth. "Sorry, wrong choice of words." said Shorty, embarrassed. Rain started to come down. They got soaked. “Stupid Sky Water!” Shorty grumbled. The group headed into a cave, for it seemed the closest dry place to go. The wind from the rainstorm blew leaves into the cave. Some landed on Dayo. She started to push them off of her, but they just came back. She groaned. She kept hitting the leaves. Eventually, she found it kind of fun, and started to try and whack as many leaves as she could out of the cave. Shorty joined her and together, the two were whacking leaves. They were having a great time. Eventually, the storm ended and the Bright Circle came back out. They left the cave. Dayo seemed much happier. She ran up to Littlefoot and poked him. "Tag, you're it." she said. She ran off. Littlefoot followed. He was glad that Dayo was feeling better. Dayo went to go hide from Littlefoot. She accidentally got her foot caught in a hole. She struggled to free herself. Eventually, she was able to do so. However, the resulting force caused her to go rolling down a hill. Meanwhile, Mrs. Maia was nestling her eggs into a nice cozy nest she had made. It had taken her a lot of effort. She saw something coming down the hill. Her mouth opened in shock. "What is that?" she asked. POW! Dayo collided with her nest. The nice materials she had made it out of went into the air. "NOOOOO!" yelled Mrs. Maia. Her eggs also went airborne. She went after them and was able to catch them all, using her mouth, arms, and even her legs to get them. Luckily, none broke. However, she glared angrily at Dayo. "OUT!" she yelled. Dayo ran off, frightened. Littlefoot ran across her and tagged her. "You're it now." he said. He noticed that she seemed upset. "What's a matter?" he asked. When she was done, Littlefoot said, in a tone that meant that it was no big deal "She's an old grouch. Don't let it bother you. You didn't mean it after all." said Littlefoot. "No, I didn't." said Dayo. She cheered up and they resumed their game. Later, that day, they stood on top of each other, the kids were trying to get some Tree Sweets. However, Dayo accidentally stumbled. They all went tumbling. Ducky, who was at the top, went sailing through the air and got stuck in a tree. Petrie had to go and get her down. "Thank you Petrie." she said. "Nice going Dayo!" grumbled Cera. Littlefoot opened his mouth to argue back that it was just an accident, but, to his surprise, Shorty got there first. "Lay up Cera! She didn't mean it. It was an accident." he said, glaring at Cera. "Three accidents in one day?" said Cera, raising her eyebrows. "I'm naturally clumsy." said Dayo. "I've noticed." said Cera coolly. "Cera, she can't help it." said Littlefoot in annoyance. At last, the Bright Circle went down. They all went to sleep. Dayo stayed near Shorty, for she seemed to be growing fond of him. Littlefoot was kept awake, for Shorty had started snoring loudly before he could fall asleep. Littlefoot noticed that Dayo was tossing and turning. She seemed to be having a bad Sleep Story. She muttered in her sleep "No please. Not them! Please!" Littlefoot wondered whom she was talking about. He went and moved next to her, trying to comfort her. Much to his surprise, Dayo, in her sleep, had grabbed onto him and hugged him. Though annoyed, Littlefoot had let her be. He fell asleep with her hugging him. Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Shorty in Love CHAPTER FOUR: SHORTY IN LOVE "Uhhhh, Littlefoot." came a voice. He woke up. Shorty was staring at him. "It's not what it looks like!" said Littlefoot defensively. Dayo also felt embarrassed. Littlefoot and Dayo both got up and moved away from each other. Dayo went off toward a Tree Sweet tree. She slipped on the mud from the rain and went sliding down a hill. Mrs. Maia looked with horror as Dayo went skidding at her. CRASH! Dayo collided with her. Mrs. Maia had been carrying Tree Stars, which all went scattering as she fell. Many blew away in the wind. "YOU!" she snapped angrily. "Hello." said Dayo nervously. Mrs. Maia stormed to the grownups a while later. "Things were a lot better before she '''came along!" she grumbled. Dayo frowned and started to leave. "Where are you going Dayo?" Littlefoot asked her, concerned. "It's clear I'm not wanted here." Dayo sighed. "Ignore her. She's a grouch." Littlefoot whispered to her. Dayo smiled. Much to their shock, Shorty voiced aloud what Littlefoot had whispered. "Leave her alone you old grouch!" he snarled. "SHORTY!" shouted Bron angrily. "No, I won't be quiet! She's really hurt from something and she's getting dumped on! You remember what I was like, don't you Bron?" asked Shorty. Bron nodded. He recalled back to when he'd first met Shorty. Shorty was very afraid of being around anyone outside of his group. He seemed terrified of something that he wouldn't mention. He seemed very overly protective of the others in his group and mistrusted Bron. Shorty's strange behavior, especially his rudeness to others, seemed odd and put off some of the grownups. But Bron had defended him. "HMMMMPPPPHHHH, the nerve of that Longneck!" snapped Mrs. Maia, storming off in disgust. "Shorty, I..." said Dayo in shock. "She shouldn't treat you like that. It was an accident. And you're hurting. Something is bothering you." he said. She nodded. "You don't have to tell me what it is. I held it in for a long time. I finally told Bron. I still don't like to talk about it." said Shorty. "What could that be?" asked Cera. "Nunya!" snapped Shorty angrily. Cera backed off. Dayo approached Shorty. "You are very kind Shorty." said Dayo to him appreciatively. "To some people." muttered Cera under her breath. "Dad, what did Shorty mean?" Littlefoot whispered to his father. He wondered what could be troubling his foster brother. "It is very painful. To have to see that. He only told me parts of it. There's parts of it he still won't tell me." said Bron. "What is it?" asked Littlefoot, feeling sorry for Shorty. "He told me not to tell anyone. You'll have to ask him yourself." said Bron. Littlefoot returned to Dayo. He liked playing with other Longnecks. He didn't get to do it often. Dayo, however, seemed to be spending more time with Shorty than him. He noticed that his foster brother was acting weird around her. Though normally gruff and snappy, he was really sweet around her and got her green food to eat and was always very polite to her. The others noticed it too. "Shorty sure likes Dayo. He does. He does." said Ducky. Dayo's mood improved greatly by being with Shorty. This made Grandpa and Grandma Longneck happy. They had asked Dayo where her family was, thinking that perhaps she might have been lost from them. She said nothing. Shorty came to Littlefoot at night. He seemed in a great mood. "I've never seen you this happy before Shorty." said Littlefoot. "I'm in love." said Shorty. "With Dayo. I love her." he said dreamily. '''Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Shorty's Dark Past CHAPTER FIVE: SHORTY'S DARK PAST "You're what?!" asked Littlefoot in shock. "I'm in love. She's really cute and I understand her." said Shorty. "How can you understand her? She doesn't talk that much." Littlefoot inquired. "Neither do I. I can get that she doesn't want to be bothered, even if nobody else does." Shorty exclaimed. "Why are you so quiet? You don't seem to get along with other dinosaurs that well." asked Littlefoot. "It's my parents. They were killed and I was left all alone." Shorty confided. "I lost my Mother too. She was attacked right in front of me." Littlefoot added. "Both of my folks were attacked right in front of me." remarked Shorty. "They were?!" gasped Littlefoot. Shorty nodded. "What happened?" asked Littlefoot. "I don't want to talk about it." replied Shorty. He left. Littlefoot told the others what he had heard from Shorty. "I had no idea. Oh no, no, no." said Ducky in shock. "Me feel bad for Shorty." said Petrie. Dayo said nothing. It was clear to the others, however, that her mind was racing. Finally, she said "The poor dear. Don't bother him about it further until he's ready." "Like I'd be dumb enough to do..." laughed Cera. Dayo gave her an angry look and she shut up. Another rainstorm came. The rain came down hard. They all headed for shelter. It was really pouring. Visibility was poor. Shorty and Dayo wandered off from the others. They couldn't see where they were going in the downpour. Shorty slipped in the mud. Dayo tried to pull him up. Flecks of mud splattered her face as she tried to lift him. "You need to lose weight." said Dayo. "Sorry." said Shorty. He didn't act insulted about her comments about his weight. She slipped, however, in part due to her clumsiness. They both went sliding in the mud. "WOOOOOOOAAHHH!" they both yelled. They went over a cliff and landed in the Mysterious Beyond. Luckily they hadn't fallen far and were only bruised. "Are you ok?" Dayo asked Shorty. "I'm mostly fine. How are you?" he asked her. "I am ok. A bit sore. I'm so sorry I tripped. I'm such a klutz." said Dayo, blushing. "It doesn't matter." said Shorty. Shorty helped Dayo get up. "Thank you Shorty." she said. "Glad to help." he replied. They stared at each other. They were close to kissing, for Dayo had been growing fonder of Shorty too. However, right before their lip met, they heard a snarl. They pulled apart. "What was that?" said Shorty nervously, looking around. A hungry pack of Allosauruses came their way. "Sharpteeth!" they both yelled. They ran. The hungry carnivores pursued them. Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Sharptooth Chase CHAPTER SIX: SHARPTOOTH CHASE The two Longnecks were terrified. Dayo especially so. "These were the same ones that chased me a few days ago!" said Dayo. The two ran for dear life. The Sharpteeth ran after them, saliva dripping from their mouths. Shorty and Dayo ran along a canyon wall. The ground was becoming muddier due to the rain. They were running quite fast. Suddenly, Dayo, due to her clumsiness, tripped on a root and fell. Shorty had a hard decision to make: run and ensure that he had a better chance of getting away or go back and get Dayo and possibly risk both of them getting eaten. He chose to go back for Dayo. He stopped running and turned around and ran toward her. The Sharpteeth were standing near her, looking pleased. "Save yourself!" yelled Dayo at him. "No, I'm not leaving you." replied Shorty. "Back brutes!" he shouted at the Sharpteeth. The hungry Allosaurus pack snapped at him. He dodged them. He moved next to Dayo and helped her get up. His selfless act had allowed the Sharpteeth to trap them against the canyon wall. "I told you to save yourself Shorty! Now we're both going to be dinner!" moaned Dayo. Shorty spotted a crevice in the canyon wall. It would fit them. "In here, quick!" he said. He and Dayo got in. Two Sharpteeth lunged at where they had been, just barely missing them and snapping at thin air. The hungry pack soon started trying to get through the crevice. Dayo was shaking. Shorty knew that if there wasn't another way out and if those Sharpteeth got through that crevice, he and Dayo would be back with his parents. "Oh Shorty, what are we going to do?" said Dayo in a panic. "We need to find a way out." Shorty said. "I hope there's another way out than into their stomachs." grumbled Dayo. The light was dim in the small cavern. There wasn't a lot of room in there. The two moved, looking for a way out. They eventually found a bit of light. However, the path that way wasn't big enough for them to get through. And, to make matters worse, the Sharpteeth were putting strain on the way they'd came in. The two Longnecks threw themselves at the very small opening, hoping to make it larger. They were slowly breaking away at the rocks. The Sharpteeth were having equal success nearby. Finally, Shorty and Dayo were able to break through. And, at that moment, the Sharpteeth got through the other way. "Quick!" yelled Dayo. She and Shorty went through the opening. They aimed at the rocks, slightly blocking the path behind them. This slowed down the Sharpteeth and enabled them to get away. "That was close!" said Shorty. "You saved my life Shorty." said Dayo, beaming at him. "Well, I couldn't just leave you to become Sharptooth munchies." said Shorty. "Thank you." said Dayo. She kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red. The two wandered in the rain. They eventually were able to get back into the Great Valley. The Sharpteeth, meanwhile, began sniffing around, hoping to get to the two Longnecks. They wouldn't be deterred so easily. CHAPTER SEVEN: FERNWOOD FOREST "Where were you?" Bron asked. "Got lost when all of that Sky Water was coming down." said Shorty. "And we ran into Sharpteeth." said Dayo. "Sharpteeth?!" said Bron in shock. "Yes, hungry pests." replied Shorty. "He saved me Bron. Shorty saved me. They would have killed me otherwise." said Dayo. "I went back for her. It was the right thing to do." said Shorty. The next day, they were with Littlefoot and his friends. They were glad that Shorty was nicer than usual. "I wish Dayo would stay with Shorty more often. He's a lot nicer."remarked Cera. "He isn't always nice?" asked Dayo in shock. Shorty shook his head. "No, for a long while, I've been a real creep." Shorty confessed. "Points for self-awar-" said Cera. Littlefoot glared angrily at her and she stopped talking. “I’d like to explore the Great Valley.” said Dayo. The others were pleased that she seemed in a good mood. “How about Fernwood Forest?” suggested Littlefoot. They headed out toward a forest of trees with ferns. The leaves were falling off as it was the Time of Falling Leaves. Leaves fell and hit them in the head. The wind picked up and blew some in their faces as well. Spike ate a few of them. “He eats those?” asked Dayo in surprise, who didn’t think ferns tasted that great. “Spike will eat almost any kind of plant. It’s just good that he’s not a Sharptooth.” said Shorty. The others laughed, but they all stopped when they saw Dayo flinch at the mention of the word “Sharptooth”. “You seem unusually afraid of Sharpteeth Dayo. You do. You do.” remarked Ducky. “If you were chased by them for over a day, wondering if they were going to get you, then you would be very afraid of them too.” snapped Dayo. “We have been. This maniac chased us for over a week.” replied Cera. “It happened to me recently and I literally mean all day!” snapped Dayo. “Oh.” said Cera. The wind picked up again. Dust blew, obscuring the air. Ducky, Shorty, Littlefoot, and Petrie went one way in the path. Dayo and Spike went another. Eventually, the dust cleared. “Where did the others go?” Dayo asked Spike. Spike shrugged. “You don’t have a lot to say, do you?” Dayo remarked. Spike again said nothing. They came across a huge river, with a waterfall nearby going down into a gorge. “How are we going to get across?” Dayo asked Spike. Spike moved toward a log that went over the river. “Good thinking!” said Dayo. They went onto the log. When they were in the middle, it broke, for the log had been rotten, though they didn’t know this when they went on it, and it broke under their weight. They fell into the water and went off the waterfall. Luckily, there were no rocks at the bottom. They go out of the water, sore but alive. “Are you all right Spike?” Dayo asked him. Spike nodded. “I’m very sore. That was quite a fall.” she said. They found rock steps leading back up. They went up some distance. Much to their annoyance, they found that the rock path stopped up here. “Just great!” moaned Dayo. They found a cave. They headed into it. Dayo kept looking around, as though expecting a Sharptooth to jump out at any moment. Meanwhile, Shorty was frantically looking for Dayo. “Did any of you see her?” Shorty asked, his voice panicky. “We haven’t seen your girlfriend.” Cera stated. “Spike is missing too. He is. He is.” Ducky informed them. They eventually came to the broken log. They could see muddy footprints coming out of the water and up the path to the cave where Dayo and Spike had gone. “We need to get to them!” said Petrie. Dayo and Spike found an underground river in the back of the cave. Water was trickling through a hole. Light was coming through it. The two started to push at the opening. They broke through the opening slowly, but water started to pour in. The room started to flood. “Ut oh!” said Dayo and Spike together in fright. They tried to wiggle through, hoping to not drown. Shorty was in a stream.. He could hear Dayo yelling below him. He also saw water draining down into the ground. He took a closer look and saw the crack in the ground. “Come on!” he said. He led the others to the spot. They were able to break through in time and get Dayo and Spike out by pulling them up. The room flooded and the chamber in there collapsed, sealing the cave room shut. “Whew, that was close!” said Dayo. She saw Shorty. “Ahh, my hero again!” she said, kissing him. He turned bright red. “I think we’ve had enough adventures for one day.” said Shorty. The others agreed. They left Fernwood Forest and, sometime later, went to bed. CHAPTER EIGHT: THE SEARCH PARTY The next morning, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck came and said to Dayo “What do your parents look like?” “Dad’s green and Mother’s light brown. Dad’s got blue eyes and Mom’s got green eyes.” replied Dayo. “What are their names?” asked Grandma Longneck. “Marrian and Dusty.” replied Dayo. She looked really down again upon hearing her parents mentioned. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck left. They came to Bron. “We are going to search for her parents.” said Grandpa Longneck. “Do we know where they might be?” asked Bron. “No, but we need to find them for her.” said Grandma Longneck. “We will send out a search party. She mentioned a desert. Perhaps it is the desert between here and the Land of Mists.” said Grandpa Longneck. Meanwhile, Ducky came to Dayo. “You look down. They are looking for your parents. They are. They are.” said Ducky. Dayo said nothing. Ducky began to sing a song to cheer her up. “Sometimes you feel down. All you want to do is frown. Everything seems to be going bad. And it makes you really sad.” sang Ducky in a soft and sweet tone. Dayo stared at her. “You feel really blue. And you wonder if you are ever again going to be you.” Ducky continued to sing. Dayo nodded. “Oh, I just don’t know what to do. You don’t know what I’ve been through. I am in such pain. I have trouble not going insane.” sang Dayo. She had a sweet voice and a beautiful one. One could tell that there was pain in her from her voice. Ducky shed a few tears, as she could feel it too. Dayo was touched that Ducky was trying to cheer her up. She didn’t think any non-Longnecks would care. Meanwhile, in the Mysterious Beyond, the search party called for her parents. “Dusty!” “Marrian!” they called. They hoped they could find them. They met several Longnecks and asked them if Dayo was their daughter. However, they all said that she wasn’t.